Belt buckle



P. A. BEYER y BELT BUCKLE Sept. 9, 1952 Filed DSC. 6, 1949 Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFI-CE i 2,609,577 BELT BUCKLE Paul A. Beyer, St. Clair Shores, Mich. Application December 6, 1949, Serial No. 131,341

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to buckles and particularly belt buckles for wearing apparel.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved buckle which is composed of very few parts and is capable of being manufactured and assembled at low cost. Another important object of the invention is to provide a belt buckle which is so constructed that in use it conceals both of the ends of the belt from view and exhibits a relatively wide expanse of uninterrupted surface on its front side to improve the appearance and balance of the wearing apparel. A further important object of the invention is to provide a belt buckle which is designed in a novel manner to save on the amount of leather or other material used for the belt and reduces the thickness and resulting pressure of the belt on the body of the person wearing the same.

In carrying out the invention, the belt buckle is composed of two parts. One part,`which constitutes the main body, is provided adjacent to one end thereof with a transverse slot extending substantially the full width and through which the free end of the belt is insertable. The remaining part of the main body member exhibits on the front side thereof a relatively wide expanse of uninterrupted and unbroken surface which, since both ends of the belt are concealed from view, forms a balanced centered design on the wearing apparel. The main body member is provided on the back side thereof and adjacent to the end thereof opposite to the slot with a bearing support which extends in a plane spaced inwardly from the front side of the body member to'form a passage through which the opposite end of the belt may extend. The bearing support may be formed by providing complementary eX- tensions on the opposite sides of the main body member which are inwardly bent toward one another. The bearing support is provided with a recess opening in the direction of the transverse slot. Cooperating with the bearing support is an element or clip which constitutes the second part of the buckle assembly. This element is secured to the end of the belt received in the passage and is shaped to slidingly bear against the back side of the main body member and to project into and engage the recess formed in the bearing support. In this manner, the buckle is detachably connected to one end of the belt.

As a result of this buckle construction, it is not necessary to fold the end of the belt to which the buckle is attached and provide auxiliary loops on the belt as has been customary. This saves in the use of material and reduces the thickness of the buckle assembly and the resulting pressure on the abdomen. An important feature of the invention, as hereinabove indicated, is the arrangement whereby the free end of the belt is concealed from view. The transverse slot on the main body member receives the free end of the belt by a movement from the front side of the back side and thereby disposes the free end behind the opposite end of the belt. The latter end of the belt is secured in concealed manner to the buckle and without a fold so that it appears to the eye that the buckle is simply a plate carried o n an intermediate portion of the belt.

Various other objects, advantages and'meritorious features of this invention will become more fully apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the buckle of the present invention showing the use thereof in conjunction with a belt,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the belt buckle assembly shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a back view of the belt buckle assem-r bly shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a, longitudinal sectional View taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention. the buckle comprises two separable parts, one of which constitutes the main body member and is exposed to view on the wearing apparel and the other of which a relatively small-element' secured to one end of the belt or strap with which the buckle is associated and is normally concealed from View. VThetwo parts cooperatev together to secure the buckle to one endV of a belt or strap, the connection being such that the buckle may be easily removed from the belt and attached thereto by the user.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the main body member of the buckle is generally indicated at IG and comprises a relatively flat front side I2 and opposed similarly shaped side walls |4-l4 which project inwardly perpendicularly to the front side l2. The main body I0 is provided with a transverseslot I5 adjacent toone end thereof and extending Vsubstantially the full width of the body. Th-e slot has such a dimension that it may readily receive the free end I6 of a belt, strap or other similar article with which the buckle is associated. As in conventional practice,

the free end I6 of the belt may be provided withr a taperedpextremity I8, shown in Figs. 1 and 3;

In use, the tapered extremity I8 of the belt is- 4 assembled position of the parts, the head 36 abuts the back wall 28 of the recess in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and fl. The spacing of the ex- The back side of the main body member ID is'l provided witha bearing support spaced from the"v Y front side to form a passage through whichthe opposite end of the belt extends` inassembled condition. This bearing supporteisfformed by providing extensions 22-22 on the side walls or flanges M--IL As shown in Fig. 3, the twotextensions 22-22 are bent inwardly from their connectionii to thev a'nges'zl 4-"'=I4e and 'towarda'one anotherwiri complementary opposedfrelati'onship: The two fextensions:mayv terminate' :short :of one` another. to? provideK` a: narrow f clearance A2tlg indi-- cateddnlg. 3': but; if desired; they Ina'yi be. lcon-l necteditogetherfatA thisfpoint Ato formta complete supporting; surfacefromfone 'side` of f tlief buckle to lthe: other ."side" thereof; Ther passage; formed between` the :extensions-12 2-'2'2' and the: rear fasce ofiD thefro'nt'sectio'n': I2" is? ofi suchier depthlasito'. slidingly receives the:X belt portion: passing.: therethrough;

Theisiderof thezextens'ionsiM-ZZ' adjacentito the slot I 5f' isfl provided'. with: au recess'i 2in .which-` opensfin :thezdirection: of .the 'slot I 5^; as shownzin Fig; 3v:` Preferabl'ygthe' recess 26 isnflrectangular formation having :parallelisideLWallsandia back Wall or edge 28'which extends' perpendicularlyto. the side Walls and transversely to: theflongitudinal dimensionoflthefbuckle; f` J The'fm'ainvv body.' I 0.' mayf bei provided1 With': two similar inturned portions 30--30 adjacent' tofthe slot I'lwhich assist in guidingrtheftaperedextremity I8 of the belt through;theslotfasiwellas-l providingyat surfaces for relieving=Lany pressure on the abdomen which the fedgesfof the sidewalls I4-I4 might imposel Carried by the end 20 of .tliezbeltis thelsecond` partcf the buckleassembly 'which'.isso shaped thatf` it.- is' slidinglyi received:I ini the." recess. 2.5i formedbetween'thel extensions 22T-22.2and is interlockinglyf engage'able: therewith to' hold'i the. buckle; oni the, end'fof the belt This :particular: partiv of; the assembly. is ini the` forni` of ai one piecerrclip f 32`which may' bef a'sr shown in Fig. .4', of general u-'shapedlacrossfsection; Thee. clip'V 32'; isssecured to', the ndZBi o'fthe .-belt byvforming in the 'latterfanarro-w transverse'slotS v:which .opens completely' therethrough -from one" side' to:r the other side thereof. The U-shaped head loftheelementi vprojectsthrough this slot! and byl virtue ofth'e resiliency of 'tliematera'l of? which Athe i belt iscompos'ed; suclza'srleather.'or: plastic, the. head szretained against accidental xdistodgem'ent. The` elementi. 32s isi providedy with foppositely extendinglateral flangesorlegs383s which; aszsh'own inznig; 49,1.servef as bearinglsurfaces forA engaging.' thel inner-'Lv face of" they front sec-tion l'frof the buckle:

Thev clip 32`f i`ssoy shaped' that; when the* belt 2IisL passed througll the' passage formed: by the extensions 272;-2 25l andtlefront' side of l"thebuckl'e the flanges l.'f--Sfil"'will sl-idinglyengage v the back faceof the`section= I2"r andiproject the head-36:

of th'eelment intotheirecessli InV theV final tensions 2.2-22 from the front wall I2 of the buckle and the height of the U-shaped head of the element are so gauged that the at laterally extending leg portions 38-38 of the element slidingly bear on the back face of the buckle while the closed end-of the headextends substantially flush withithe back? sideofithe` extensions 22-22. The width of the clip is substantially equal to the width of the recess, as shown in Fig. 3, in order that the clip may slide into the recess' without turning. In this manner the end 28 of the beltvis interlockingly connected to the buckle and is prevented from separation therefromfiexcept bya-.forward slidable movement of thebelt end, which action may be easily accomplished by the user in order to interchange either the belt or the buckle,

What Telaim'y is:

l. In combinationwitliia' belt, a'bucklefor detachably securing the opposite endsu of the belt together' comprising a; main' body member ex- Meininger` relatively, fiar fro-nrside and`J` providedadjacent' to one endthereofwithatransverse slot' extending Vsubstantially transversely thev fullv width ofth'e'member andthroughwhich'one end4v of'theb'elt is slidably insertablegsaid'member being,` provided'-witli side" flange'si projectingrearwardly ofth'ev member' relative 'to the' front' side thereof and' extending; substantially the full. length ofi'the member to'v form an open' ended. ,f channel; the end portions of saidlside flanges op*- posite vtil-said `slothaving 'extensions bent'ifiwardlytoward one ano-therinthe same plane to form a back .wall .spaced from .the main body member and cooperating therewith to form a narrow endopeningfpassage cfa size: to admit the opposite end-of thebelt, said 'ba-ck .wall Ybeingishapedit'o rprovide a recesslopening in-thedirection of the transverseY slot,f said oppositeU end. of the belt extending through rthe, end opening-.of the passage Vand being.

receivedlbetween the -main .bodymember and said backwall, and-avclp carried .bysaid opposite endV ofthe belt and projecting,rearwardlythereof and intosaid recess'toreleasably lock the -buckle to saidlendH of f the belt.-

2. Infcombination with arbeit, abuckle-for detachabl-ysecuring-the opposite ends ofthe belt together comprising? an elongated substantially stantiall'yithe full lengthof themember, vthe end portions of'salidwall'forming flanges opposite to said slothaving extensions bent inwardly toward onev another in 'the 'same plane and substantially edgewise abutting oneanother to formal back wall para-Heling the plate member,v andi spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal teA the thickness ofY the belt; said" extensions being' coin'- plementarily cut-away onl-their respective edges?- 2,609,577 5 6 adjacent to the slot to form a rectangular recess REFERENCES CITED opening in the direction of the slot, the opposite Th u end of the belt being received between the back me O svggenferemes are of woord m the Wall formed by said extensions and the plate member, and a rectangularly shaped clip carried 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS by the end of the belt thus received and extending Number Name Date n therethrough from one side to the other side 0f 1,848,407 Barrett Mar. 8, 1932 the belt, said clip projecting from the rear side of the belt and being of a size to enter said FOREIGN PATENTS recess and be snugly received therein to releas- 10 Number Country Date ably lock the buckle to the belt. 787,220 France July 1, 1935 PAUL A. BEYER. 

